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Writer's pictureKirsty Whitlock

The Better Mother by Emily Shiner. Review.


Book Description



Zoe just wanted to help. Now she may have a killer in her home.


Zoe is happily married to Ethan until the day a 13-year-old boy shows up on their doorstep. He says his name is Micah and that Ethan is his father. Distressed because his mother is missing, Micah has come to them for help.


Ethan is wary – he didn’t know anything about Micah - but kind-hearted Zoe feels she can’t possibly turn her back on the boy. She welcomes him into their home and does her best to make him part of the family.


But there’s something off about Micah.


He lies constantly, creeps silently around the house and towers over Zoe, observing her every move. And his growing bond with Anna, Zoe’s young daughter, feels all wrong.


So when his mother's body is found and the police start looking for the murderer, Zoe realizes something terrible…


He might already be in her home.

The Better Mother – the stunning psychological thriller from the best-selling author of Her Husband’s Secret.


BLOG TOUR REVIEW



Review for 'The Better Mother' by Emily Shiner.



Read and reviewed for Emily Shiner, ZooLoos Book Tours, Netgalley and Inkubator Books..


Publication date 22nd October 2023.


This is the seventh book I have read by this author. I have also read 'The Caretaker', 'You Can't Hide', 'Her Husband's Secret's, 'I'm Following You', 'The Hotel' and 'The Wife In The Photo' and I would highly recommend each and every one of them!!



This novel consists of 47 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!




Emily does it yet again!! I genuinely don't think she can make a book that I don't love!! Love, love, loved this book!!!! Absolutely gripping edge of your seat page turner!!! I mean just HOW HOW HOW can an author make each and every one of her AMAZING books EVEN BETTER each and every time???!?!?



This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that really set the scene and put you in the storyline. The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.


The storyline was captivating and addictive from the first page until the last and I was completely invested in it. It was absolutely rammed full of lies, secrets, family, tension, drama, murder, twists, suspense and everything you could ask for in a page turning psychological thriller. I just could not stop reading this absolutely addictive book from the first word to the last. Emily's extremely talented and evocative skills really brought the book to life and I was completely absorbed throughout. I lost count of the amount of times I promised myself one more chapter but that one finished in a way I just HAD to know what would happen next so I said just more and this went on and on until I ended up finishing it in one sitting!!! It was absolutely ram packed with mystery, secrets, deceit, murder, drama, hidden agendas, turns, mind blowing explosive twists, tension, suspense, and absolutely everything you could ask for in a psychological thriller. The location and atmosphere was absolutely perfect for this gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I absolutely love Emily's books and am guaranteed to be shocked every time I pick one up which is not an easy feat considering how many books I read a year so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS Emily!!! One of the things I love about her books is that they can also be quite thought provoking and always end with MASSIVE BOMBSHELLS that I absolutely love and never do see coming. Emily's evocative writing drags you deep into the storyline from the first sentence to the very last and will keep you up until the very last word! THAT ladies and gentleman is a true sign of an absolute must read. I absolutely loved the ending which was definitely an unexpected twist which is just one of the reasons I love Emily's books, she manages to get me every single time!! I've said it before about Emily's books and I shall say it again!! I would absolutely LOVE to see this turned into a movie and would wait up all night to get tickets to watch it!!


I hope your busy writing your next book Emily as I just cannot wait to see what bombshell twist and explosive storyline you have up your sleeve for us next!!!!


Do not start this book until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!


The characters were all realistic and strong and I was completely invested in them throughout. I love the fact that we got to see what was happening from the points of view from not just the main protagonist Zoe but also from her husband Ethan's son Micah and as with all her amazing books Emily weaves all of the chapters together with perfect timing until it all comes together with an explosive BANG!! It also explains absolutely everything which leaves no question unanswered at the end which is a pet hate of mine!! It also leaves you questioning what is really going on and gets you thinking more and more the deeper you delve into the storyline. Emily's multiple person perspective also really helps the reader understand the characters more making them more realistic to the reader. I was completely invested in all of the characters throughout and Emily's evocative descriptions really makes them jump out of the book and come to life in front of the readers eyes. All of the characters were multi layered with complex personalities which definitely made them all the more interesting to read about!!! Unfortunately, I really can not say anymore as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I had no idea what to think of Micah, what was really going on or where it was all leading which just goes to show what a talented author Emily is and I cannot wait to get hooked into her next psychological thriller which is guaranteed to be another page turner!! Regardless of what I thought about who, each character worked perfectly to make this page turning psychological thriller!!!



Congratulations Emily on yet ANOTHER huge success. This is the exact reason why you are in my favourite 5 authors list!! Here's to your next guaranteed success 🥂!!


Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first chapter of Emily's 'The Promise' which is guaranteed to be just as addictive as this book and another amazing book by Emily that I cannot wait to get stuck into!!



Overall an absolutely unputdownable, action packed, intriguing psychological thriller that will keep you up at night on the edge of your seat with a pounding heart!!



243 pages


This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £8.99 in paperback via Amazon at time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews.




@TheBetterMother @EmilyShiner @authoremilyshiner @authoreshiner @InkubatorBooks @Inkubator @ZooLoosBT @ZooloosBookTours @Netgalley @Bookworm1986 @BooksOnTour @BlogTour @BookReview @bookworm86 @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Goodreads @Amazon @AmazonKindle @Bookstagram @BookBlogger @KindleUnlimited



















Author Bio


Emily Shiner always dreamed of becoming an author but first served her time as a banker and a teacher. After a lifetime of devouring stacks of thrillers, she decided to try her hand at writing them herself. Now she gets to live out her dream of writing novels and sharing her stories with people around the world. She lives in the Appalachian Mountains and loves hiking with her husband, daughter, and their two dogs.


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Zoe O'Farrell
Zoe O'Farrell
05 nov 2023

Epic review - thank you so much for supporting the tour x

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